WOMEN IN ISLAM
Equal In Respect, But Different In Role
by Farida Khanam
IN Islam, a woman enjoys the same status as that of a man. There is no difference between man and woman as regards status, rights and blessings, both in this world and in the hereafter. Both are considered equal participants in the carrying out of the functions of daily living.
According to Islamic belief, both men and women are born as equal partners in life. In a fine expression of gender equality, the Quran declares:
Never will I waste the work of any of you, be they male or female:
You are members, one of another…
(THE QURAN, 3:195)
We find the same definition in one of the sayings of the Prophet of Islam, (the Hadith):
Men and women are two equal halves of a single unit. (Al Tirmizi)
We see that both the sacred scriptures of Islam make it clear that neither sex is inferior or superior to the other. However, studies in biology and psychology show that the sexes are different in nature, each being designed for a different purpose. So, the Islamic maxim for men and women runs as:
Equal in respect, but different in role.
Men and women being equal, each has a different sphere of action. That is, in making their contribution to social activity, the men undertake whatever is physically harder, while the women deal with whatever is lighter.
Men and women can be likened to a cart running on two wheels. Each of the wheels contributes equally to the running of the cart. Even if only one of the wheels goes out of order, the cart will stop. The way a cart traverses its path with the help of the two wheels, exactly in the same way, with mutual cooperation of men and women, the system of life can be run efficiently.
It is a fact that women in general are not physically as strong as men but their physical weakness in no way implies their inferiority to men. The eyes are the most delicate parts of our body, while the nails by comparison are extremely hard. That does not mean that the nails are superior to the eyes. Just as two different kinds of fruits will differ in colour, taste, shape and texture, without one being superior or inferior to the other, so also do men and women have different qualities which distinguish male from female without there being any question of inferiority or superiority. They are endowed by nature with different capacities so that they may play their respective roles in life with greater ease and effectiveness.
This makes it clear that, although males and females differ from one another biologically, they are equal in terms of human status. No distinction is made between women and men as regards their respective rights. This is all for the good if they are to be lifetime companions.
Men and women in the eyes of Islam then are not equal duplicates of one another, but rather complement each other. This concept permits the shortcomings of one sex to be compensated for by the strengths of the other.
In respect of innate talents all individuals, be they men or women, differ from one another. Yet their need for each other is equal. All are of equal value. One is not more important or less important than the other. Similarly when it comes to the establishment of a home and raising a family, men and women have their separate roles to play. But each is vital. Each is indispensable to the other; and for them to come together, function in unison and live in harmony; there must be mutual respect. The prevailing sense is that a difference of biological function does not imply inequality. For the biological division of human beings into males and females is the result of the purposeful planning of our Creator.
In ancient times women had come to be considered inferior and were deprived, among other things, of the right to inherit property. Islam for the first time in human history gave them their due legal rights over property. According to the Quran
Women shall have a share in what their parents and kinsmen leave; whether it be little or much, it is legally theirs.
(THE QURAN, 4:7)
In fact, Islam grants even more respect to women than to men. According to a Hadith, a man once came to the Prophet and asked him who rightfully deserved the best treatment from him.
“Your mother” ,said the Prophet.
“Who next?”, asked the man.
“Your mother.”
“Who comes next?”, the man asked again.
The Prophet again replied, “your mother.”
“Who after that?”, insisted the man.
“Your father”, said the Prophet.
Another example concerns Hajira, Prophet Abraham’s wife. Hajj, one of the forms of worship in Islam, entails the performance of Saiee, as one of the main rites of the Hajj. This is accomplished by running back and forth seven times between Safa and Marwah, two hillocks near the Kabah. This running, enjoined upon every pilgrim, be they rich or poor, literate or illiterate, king or commoner, is an imitation of the desperate quest of Hajira, Prophet Abraham’s wife, for water to quench the thirst of her crying infant four thousand years ago. The performance of this rite is a lesson in struggling for the cause of God. It is of the utmost significance that this was an act performed by a woman. Perhaps there could be no better demonstration of a woman’s greatness than God’s command to all men, literally to follow in her footsteps.
We can see that the principle applied by the expression ‘ladies first’ in modern times had already been established in Islam at the very outset.
If nature has decreed that man and woman should have different attributes and functions, it is so that, rather than duplicate each other, they should complement each other. And so long as they interact in life complimentarily, the dictates of both nature and society are satisfactorily fulfilled.
